GS Jassey laments GFF national teams funding

Gambia
Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary has said the trend in which the
country’s football governing body is financing national football teams is
worrying.

Speaking
to the press on Wednesday during his first interface since his appointment in
January, Lamin Jassey said government should be responsible for the financing
of all national teams because “the teams are representing The Gambia.”

Mr.
Jassey said funds coming from FIFA that is indirectly used to finance the teams
should rather be used to develop the game at grassroots level and the upkeep of
the GFF Secretariat. To him, it is not a pleasure for GFF to spend FIFA funds
to finance the teams. “It is important for the public to know that GFF is
moving to the extreme to finance the teams.”

The
Youth and Sports ministry has been blaming their inability to fully fund
various national sports teams to financial challenges but Mr. Jassey called on
the government to support the football authority by assuming their rightful
position in the promotion and development of football. “I will do everything
within my capacity [as General Secretary] to improve football administration in
the country,” Jassey, who signed a four-year contract with GFF last January,
declared.

The
National Team is currently preparing for a test match against Central African
Republic tomorrow, Friday at the Independence Stadium kicking off at 5pm.

Mr.
Jassey was asked why the team is in camp at Paradise Suites Hotel when there is
already a GFF Hotel where millions have been spent; he said the hotel is still
not ready as there should be swimming pool and other facilities. He promised
that next time the team is playing; the players would be camped at Football
Hotel.

However,
he could not reveal how much the GFF is paying to camp the players at Paradise
Suites Hotel.

On
the issue of women football, Mr. Jassey said the Lamin Kaba Bajo-led executive
is very committed to the development of women football, explaining that at the
last Women’s Football Forum in Marrakech, The Gambia was used as a model,
unlike other countries that have no women football leagues.

On
his appointment by the GFF that critics said was as a result of his
relationship with the current GFF leadership, Lamin Jassey dispelled that,
saying those were misconceptions and misleading comments by detractors.

Jassey, who served as GFF administrative
secretary some years ago before traveling to the United Kingdom said there is
no one who is more qualified than he in football administration.

He
used the interface with the press to disclose plans of restructuring the
Marketing Department and other areas to better promote the domestic league. “We
are working on getting sponsors for the leagues.”

On
the relation between GFF and the Ministry of Youth and Sports that has not been
a good one, he vowed to use his office to better the relation between the two
entities. “On our end, the GFF President Lamin Kaba Bajo has shown their
commitment to cooperate with the Government.”